Referees to 24 January 2016
The quarterfinalists will be made up by the five winners of each pool plus the three best placed teams, i.e. the three teams with the highest match points in their pool.
The winners of Pool Two and Pool Five are to be decided this weekend. In Pool Two, Ospreys have 16 points, Clermont 14 and in Pool Five Toulon have 16 points, Wasps 15.
The three teams who would qualify as best placed could come from those who come second in Pool Two and Pool Five, Stade Français and Northampton Saints, and possibly Ulster.
In Japan there are the play-offs of the 16 Top League sides with a Final between Panasonic and Toshiba, to be refereed by Kyusuke Toda, a 45-year-old graduate from Gifu University.
It all makes for an exciting weekend.
Those matches with a great deal at stake will bring out the best in the referees.
This week we have appointments from Kenya, the Kenya Cup referees.
International
Champions Cup, Round 6
Pool 1
Ulster vs Oyonnax
Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)
Assistant referees: Matteo Liperini (Italy), Simone Boaretto (Italy)
Television match official: Stefano Pennè (Italy)
Assessor: Gary Welsh (England)
Toulouse vs Saracens
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Rhys Thomas (Wales),Gwyn Morris (Wales)
Television match official: Derek Bevan (Wales)
Assessor: Gordon McMurray (Scotland)
Pool 2
Exeter Chiefs vs Ospreys
Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)
Assistant referees: Salem Attalah (France), Pierre Brousset (France)
Television match official: Hervé Dubes (France)
Assessor: Les Peard (Wales)
Clermont Auvergne vs Bordeaux-Bègles
Referee: JP Doyle (England)
Assistant referees: Matthew Carley (England), Paul Dix (England)
Television match official: Graham Hughes (England)
Assessor: Michel Lamoulie (France)
Pool 3
Glasgow Warriors vs Racing-Métro
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant referees: Luke Pearce (England), Peter Allan (England)
Television match official: Trevor Fisher (England)
Scarlets vs Northampton Saints
Referee: Pascal Gauzère (France)
Assistant referees: Maxime Chalon (France), Jean-Luc Rebollal (France)
Television match official: Jean-Marie Piraveau (France)
Jim Fleming (Scotland)
Pool 4
Benetton Treviso vs Munster
Referee: Alexandre Ruiz (France)
Assistant referees: Cédric Marchat (France), Tual Trainini (France)
Television match official: Philippe Bonhoure (France)
Assessor: Robert Davies (Wales)
Stade Français vs Leicester Tigers
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland), Mark Patton (Ireland)
Television match official: Marshall Kilgore (Ireland)
Assessor: Eric Darriere (France)
Pool 5
Bath vs Toulon
Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Dudley Phillips (Ireland), Kieran Barry (Ireland)
Television match official: Simon McDowell (Ireland)
Assessor: Patrick Robin (France)
Wasps vs Leinster
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant referees: Sébastien Minery (France), Thomas Déjean (France)
Television match official: Eric Gauzins (France)
Assessor: Nigel Yates (England)
Challenge Cup
Pool 1
Connacht vs Enisei-STM
Referee: Tom Foley (England)
Assistant referees: Greg Macdonald (England), Roger Baileff (England)
Newcastle Falcons vs Brive
Referee: Leighton Hodges (Wales)
Assistant referees: Simon Rees (Wales), Greg Morgan (Wales)
Pool 2
Sale Sharks vs Newport Gwent Dragons
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: David Wilkinson (Ireland), Sean Gallagher (Ireland)
Television match official: Seamus Flannery (Ireland)
Timekeeper: Tony Rowlands (Wales)
Assessor: David McHugh (Ireland)
Castres vs Pau
Referee: Ian Tempest (England)
Assistant referees: Craig Maxwell-Keys (England), Kevin Stewart (England)
Pool 3
Cardiff Blues vs Calvisano
Referee: Thomas Charabas (France)
Assistant referees: Arnaud Blondel (France), Luc Ramos (France)
Montpellier vs Harlequins
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant referees: Sean Brickell (Wales), Jon Hardy (Wales)
Television match official: Jonathan Mason (Wales)
Pool 4
La Rochelle vs Worcester Warriors
Referee: Elia Rizzo (Italy)
Assistant referees: Filippo Bertelli (Italy), Luca Trentin (Italy)
Zebre vs Gloucester
Referee: Gary Conway (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Eddie Hogan O'Connell (Ireland), John Carvill (Ireland)
Assessor: David McHugh (Ireland)
Pool 5
Agen vs London Irish
Referee: Lloyd Linton (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Cammy Rudkin (Scotland), Bob Nevins (Scotland)
Grenoble vs Edinburgh
Referee: Greg Garner (England)
Assistant referees: Andrew Small (England), Roy Maybank (England)
Television match official: Geoff Warren (England)
British & Irish Cup, Round 6
Leinster A vs Rotherham Titans at Donnybrook
Referee: Dan Jones (Wales)
Assistant referees: Paul Haycock (Ireland), Dermot Blake (Ireland)
Assessor: Ciaran O'Brien (Ireland)
Nottingham vs Cardiff Blues Premiership Select at Lady Bay Sport Ground
Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Nigel Carrick (England), Brian Ravenhill (England)
Assessor: Owen Doyle (England)
Munster A vs London Scottish at Midleton RFC
Referee: Christophe Ridley (England)
Assistant referees: Shane Kierans (Ireland), Will O'Connor (Ireland)
Assessor: Tim O'Brien (Ireland)
Bedford Blues vs Scarlets at Goldington Road
Referee: Stuart Gaffikin (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Simon Adams (England), Lionel Spooner (England)
Assessor: Sam Collins (England)
Ospreys Premiership Select vs Yorkshire Carnegie at The Gnoll, Neath
Referee: Sean Gallagher (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Jason Langdon (England), Richard Hughes (England)
Assessor: Hopkin Thomas (England)
Ealing Trailfinders vs Moseley
Referee: Fergus Kirby (England)
Assistant referees: Darryl Chapman (England), Philip Watters (England)
Assessor: Lloyd Jackson (England)
Bristol vs Ulster Ravens
Referee: Craig Evans (Wales)
Assistant referees: Andrew Pearce (England), Michael Patz (England)
London Welsh vs Cornish Pirates
Referee: Ben Blain (England)
Assistant referees: Jonathan Healy (England), Gregory Garner (England)
Assessor: Martin Fox (England)
Newport Gwent Dragons Premiership Select vs Connacht Eagles
Referee: Jack Makepeace (England)
Assistant referees: Tim Davies (Wales), Neil Pruett (Wales)
Assessor: Lyndon Young (Wales)
Doncaster Knights vs Jersey
Referee: Michael Hudson (England)
Assistant referees: Dino Maddern (England), Matthew Daubney (England)
Assessor: Anthony Spreadbury (England)
Domestic
France
Pro D2, Round 16
Colomiers vs Aurillac at Stade Michel Bendichou
Referee: Mathieu Delpy
Assistant referees: David Rosich, Pascal Ubeda
Goal judges: Christian Castello, Emmanuel Heinrich
Albi vs Biarritz at Parc Municipal Des Sports
Referee: Thierry Mallet
Assistant referees: Cédric Clave, Alain Monteux
Goal judges: Eric Doria, Stéphane Lamagnere
Bayonne vs Carcassonne at Stade Jean Dauger
Referee: Jonathan Gasnier
Assistant referees: Nicolas Datas, Sylvain Jaymes
Goal judges: Christophe Abadie, Jérôme Soubigou
Béziers vs Provence at Stade De La Méditérranée
Referee: Christophe Mallet
Assistant referees: Christine Hanizet, Baptiste Abel Coindoz
Goal judges: Philippe Dehez, Laurent Foucaud
Mont-de-Marsan vs Montauban at Stade Municipal Guy Boniface
Referee: Mathieu Noirot
Assistant referees: Guillaume Trieux, Philippe Gorbenko
Goal judges: Sébastien Crussiere, Jean-Francois Favori
Perpignan vs Tarbes at Stade Aime Giral
Referee: Vivien Praderie
Assistant referees: Mickael Simon, Laurent Guillermard
Goal judges: Eric Armengaud, Vincent Lacaille
Narbonne vs Dax at Parc Des Sports Et De L'Amitie
Referee: Pierre Brousset
Assistant referees: Ludovic Cayre, Alexandre Vallon
Goal judges: Maxime Bernard, Laurent Colin
Bourgoin vs Lyon at Stade Pierre Rajon
Referee: Stéphane Boyer
Assistant referees: Laurent Millotte, Jean-Claude Labarbe
Goal judges: Xavier Cazalas, Didier Veyssiere
Italy
Trofeo Eccellenza
Sitav Lyons Piacenza vs Viadana
Referee: Stefano Bolzonella
Petrarca Padova vs IMA Lazio
Referee: Vincenzo Schipani
Japan
Top League Play-offs
Final: Panasonic Wild Knights vs Toshiba Brave Lupus at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground
Referee: Kyusuke Toda
Assistant referees: Akihisa Aso, Ryuta Kudo
3rd/4th: Kobe Kobelco Steelers vs Yamaha Jubilo at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground
Referee: Tatsuya Matsuoka
Assistant referees: Noriaki Hashimoto, Tomohiro Ogawa
5th/6th: Canon Eagles vs Toyota Verblitz
Referee: Teruhisa Kajiwara
Assistant referees: Ryuta Kudo, Yosuke Kimura
7th/8th: Kintetsu Liners vs NTT Communications Shining Arcs
Referee: Akihisa Aso
Assistant referees: Tetsuhiko Kawano, Yukiomi Asada
9th/10th: Suntory Sungoliath vs Toyota Industries Shuttles
Referee: Kimitoshi Shiozaki
Assistant referees: Tadataka Yoshiura, Msamichi Tatekawa
11th/12th: Honda Heat vs Kubota Spears
Referee: Taku Otsuki
Assistant referees: Rui Shimizu, Tomoyuki Matsugu
13th/14th: Coca-Cola Red Sparks vs Ricoh Black Rams
Referee: Masaya Kato
Assistant referees: Tomohiro Ogawa, Satoshi Yamamoto
15th/16th: NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes vs NEC Green Rockets
Referee: Taizo Hirabayashi
Assistant referees: Kazuo Iechika, Kazuhito Taniguchi
Kenya
Kenya Cup, Round 7
Mwamba vs KCB
Referee: Raymond Oruo
Assistant referees: Godwin Karuga, Adrian Munyua
Mean Machine vs Homeboyz
Referee: Anthony Ndong
Assistant referees: Collins Nabiswa, Edgar Ombatti
Television match official: Gregory Sang
Assessor: Osborne Bulemi
Impala vs Nakuru
Referee: Constant Cap
Assistant referees: Andrew Karani, Linus Kinuthia
Television match official: Gregory Sang
Assessor: Osborne Bulemi
Thika vs Western Bulls
Referee: Allan Wanjohi
Assistant referees: Enoch Amadi, Vincent Maranga
Kabras vs Strathmor
Referee: Johnbosco Muamba
Assistant referees: Victor Oduor, Ken Mukok
Nondescript vs Bungoma Sharks
Referee: Alan Khakame
Assistant referees: Sarah Otieno, Mary Musieka
Blakblad vs Kenya Harlequins
Referee: Nicholas Gachoya
Assistant referees: Peris Mukok, Janet Awino
Portugal
Campeonato Nacional Divisão Honra, 15ª Jornada
AEIS Agronomia vs CR Arcos Valdevez at Campo Tapada A
DIREITO vs Belenenses at Monsanto
AEIS Tecnico vs AA Coimbra at Olaias
CDUL vs CDUP at Estádio Universitário de Lisboa campo
Cascais vs Lousã at Campo da Guia
Wales
Foster's Cup
Neath vs Llanelli
Referee: Simon Mills
Assistant referees: Jon Hardy, Lloyd Hughes
Carmarthen Quins vs Llandovery
Referee: Elfyn Morris-Roberts
Assistant referees: Greg Morgan, Darren Randall
Ebbw Vale vs Cross Keys
Referee: Rhys Thomas
Assistant referees: Tim Davies, Aled Liddington
Cardiff vs Bridgend
Referee: Richard Brace
Assistant referees: Gareth Newman, Aaron Parry
Pontypridd vs Aberavon
Referee: Stuart Kibble
Assistant referees: Paul Jones, Geoff Williams
Bedwas vs Newport
Referee: Adam Jones
Assistant referees: Jason Langdon, Neil Perkins
Photograph: Mathieu Raynal in action
